How to cope with stress

Everyone experiences some level of stress in their life but if stress is not properly coped with, it can have many serious side effects to your health.

There are several strategies available to cope with stress including lifestyle changes, dietary changes and proactive steps to avoid burnout.

In business, stress is often associated with the demands of the career or with work and family imbalance. To avoid burnout, try the following strategies:

Take care of yourself
It is important to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle to properly cope with and to reduce the effects of stress on your body. Be sure to limit your alcohol intake, avoid smoking and eat a diet rich with vitamins and minerals by regularly eating fruits and vegetables.

If you are unable to maintain a healthy diet regularly, consider adding a multi vitamin supplement to your daily routine.

Take Time Off
Schedule regular long weekends, holidays and time to relax throughout your work year. If you do not have time to take regular holidays with your work schedule, practice relaxation techniques in your weekly schedule to help you cope with stress.

To read more about time management, click here to read an article on my blog.

Set Limits
Business owners tend to take on the majority of the work responsibility. Time management is a priority to ensure that you are not overworked and that you are able to complete tasks in a timely manner without being overloaded.

Outsource
If you are feeling overworked, outsource tasks to other employees or outsource them to another company to avoid being overworked.  Virtual Assistants can assist you with a variety of tasks, leaving you to focus on your health and business.  I regularly use the team at Office Elves for these type of jobs.

To read more about outsourcing, read the recent article that I have posted onto my website.

Get Enough Sleep
Most business owners are not getting enough sleep. Lack of sleep can affect your ability to concentrate and can have serious health consequences if not addressed. It is recommended to get 6-8 hours of sleep on a nightly basis.

All of these strategies are important to help you reduce the effects of stress on your body and to help you to cope with stress that you have from your personal and family lives.

If you need to reduce stress, start by evaluating anything in your current life that is causing your stress and then take proactive coping steps to reduce the effects of stress on your body.